The Smyrna Middle Schoolgirls soccer team is about halfway through the season and with a record of 3-2, the coaches feel the players on the team are progressing right on schedule.

Having not known each other that long, as there’s a mixture of seventh and eighth graders on the team, head coach Dennis Szymanski believes the team has jelled quickly.

“There are no cliques. All the players on the A and B team, everybody supports each other,” Szymanski said.

Assistant coach Joe Flamer agrees, stating there’s no animosity and it’s really a team camaraderie. Not only is the team a good bunch of players for this year, the coaches are already seeing a core of players that will return for next year.

“We see leadership developing amongst the girls ready to take on the roles of captains for next year,” Flamer said.

An example of how the team supports one another is their 4-1 win April 18 over Beacon Middle School. Flamer said the girls played well together and there were no individual stars because they worked together as a team.

While the girls are playing well together to this point in the season, the coaches said there a few things to improve upon. The girls need to talk more in the field and improve their communication. They tend to wait for the ball to come to them; if it’s not right next to their foot they let someone else go after the soccer ball. Flamer said the girls instead need to take the lead and charge on the field.

Big games coming up include Postlethwait and Milford.

“Milford, they beat us before so we’re looking forward to playing them again,” Szymanski said.

As the season progress, the coaches hope to win some more games with the goal of finishing with a winning record.

Szymanksi and Flamer are excited about the group of girls they have especially since the girls have siblings that have played before on the team and the boys soccer team in the fall; they like seeing families participating in the sports programs at Smyrna Middle.

The two coaches also pointed out the commitment of the players on the team, who also participate in other sports and other school commitments.

“Those girls aren’t just leaders on the field, they’re leaders in the building and other programs,” Flamer said.